Which DVD Player Will Play Street DVDs?

[PigDogg]

My teerak wants a DVD player for her birthday as our current one, an AJ is not working properly.

I don't care about bootleg American movies. It's for what she likes, things such as Issan DVDs that may not play on all systems. Probably much of what she'll buy will be on the street.

One store recommended a Phillips while another said a Sherman was best for that purpose. What do I look for other than relying on the salesmen? Is country codes removed important?

Thanks

[rxpharm]

PD, it isn't really a brand you need to look for. You need a DVD player that can play DivX, WMA and other digital video files, like MPEG 3 and MPEG 4. In addition it should be compatible with all DVD formats, DVD +/- R, Dual Layer, DVD R/W, etc.

As for region free, I would think most DVD players in Thailand are region free, but look for the specs - if it doesn't specify a specific region, it should be region free. I found when looking for a DVD player for my parents in Canada, it was the cheaper ones that were not region locked.

It is likely that the Isaan DVDs are not always the typical format, so that is why you need one that can play all the other digital video formats too.

Hope this helps, if I am missing anything or have something wrong, I am sure one of the other BMs can chip in.

[perth_couple]

Def agree with RXPharm on picking a machine that supports as many formats as possible - that'd probably be the key.

If it is regoin coded though, almost any machine can be 'unlocked' to play any regoin.. Just go to dvdhack.com and look for the machine you have then follow the instructions.. Takes about 3 minutes..

[Snick]

In Thailand, tell the sales person you want it to be region free. They usually have a secret code or upgrade disk that can do that.
If you buy a Samsung or LG, they are region LOCKED, but easy to crack in the store
Sony is usually unlocked
Don't know about philips
for 'noname', Big C usually has a few players at the 1000 Baht range, and they work fine - I've bought two

Bring a Region 1 Disk with you and have them unlock and test in the store.

Also look for one with a USB port. Its a great feature, you can download shows from the internet, put on a USB drive, then stick the drive into the DVD player and watch on TV.

The only problem with your Isaan disks is that they are put on crappy DVDs and often warp, In the past I have used a computer to copy the DVD and then played the copy. Its usually not a 'format' issue.

PS. Thailand is a hard environment for a DVD player, heat+dust I guess, I have had a Sony and a Samsung go bad, both got serviced, then died again. I suggest getting a noname in the 1000-1300 Baht range, that way you won't feel pissed if it dies after a year.

[Rollo Tomasi]

(Snick @ Sep. 01 2008,09:27) PS. Thailand is a hard environment for a DVD player, heat+dust I guess, I have had a Sony and a Samsung go bad, both got serviced, then died again. I suggest getting a noname in the 1000-1300 Baht range, that way you won't feel pissed if it dies after a year.

Funny - I was gonna say the same thing with but the opposite advice!

Buy a brand you know.

The cheap ones have crappy fans and will burn out fast. I haven't ever had a problem (so far) with name brand DVD players (and I've bough plenty over the years!)

ALL the no names I bough when I first came here are on the scrap heap now.

[SamplerDoc]

(PigDogg @ Sep. 01 2008,02:30) My teerak wants a DVD player for her birthday as our current one, an AJ is not working properly.

I don't care about bootleg American movies.  It's for what she likes, things such as Issan DVDs that may not play on all systems. Probably much of what she'll buy will be on the street.

One store recommended a Phillips while another said a Sherman was best for that purpose.  What do I look for other than relying on the salesmen?  Is country codes removed important?

Thanks      

Dude its been not working for months, about time you hooked her up Man

Told you to buy my Extra DVD player......Oh well

[Snick]

(Rollo Tomasi @ Sep. 01 2008,17:26)

(Snick @ Sep. 01 2008,09:27) PS. Thailand is a hard environment for a DVD player, heat+dust I guess, I have had a Sony and a Samsung go bad, both got serviced, then died again. I suggest getting a noname in the 1000-1300 Baht range, that way you won't feel pissed if it dies after a year.

Funny - I was gonna say the same thing with but the opposite advice!

Buy a brand you know.

The cheap ones have crappy fans and will burn out fast. I haven't ever had a problem (so far) with name brand DVD players (and I've bough plenty over the years!)

ALL the no names I bough when I first came here are on the scrap heap now.

LOL

I had an expensive Samsung, DVD Recorder with HDMI.
It went bad within 6 months, got it serviced, took a month, year later, same problem, took it back but out of warranty, they wanted 3500 Baht to fix and I said screw it.

My Sony also had problems - but kinda works.

My 900 Baht no-name has been working fine for a year.

[seamus]

I have a sony RDR-GX120 plays all regions , but will fuck up now & then on Copys, some it just cant see
In UK normally Johnnie now brand DVD's play anything you put into them !